Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers

This page shows information about planetary bodies named by the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN), and about bodies named by the IAU Committee on Small Body Nomenclature that have surface features named by the WGPSN.

Mercury

Venus

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

Venus

Roman name for the goddess of love. This planet was considered to be the brightest and most beautiful planet or star in the heavens. Other civilizations have named it for their god or goddess of love/war.

Earth System

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

Earth

The name Earth comes from the Indo-European base 'er,'which produced the Germanic noun 'ertho,' and ultimately German 'erde,' Dutch 'aarde,' Scandinavian 'jord,' and English 'earth.' Related forms include Greek 'eraze,' meaning 'on the ground,' and Welsh 'erw,' meaning 'a piece of land.'

Earth I (Moon)

Every civilization has had a name for the satellite of Earth that is known, in English, as the Moon. The Moon is known as Luna in Italian, Latin, and Spanish, as Lune in French, as Mond in German, and as Selene in Greek.

Martian System

The names of the moons of Mars and the English translations of the names were specifically proposed by their discoverer, Asaph Hall, and as such, they have been accepted and retained under the current IAU nomenclature.

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

Mars

Named by the Romans for their god of war because of its red, bloodlike color. Other civilizations also named this planet from this attribute; for example, the Egyptians named it "Her Desher," meaning "the red one."

Mars I (Phobos)

Inner satellite of Mars. Named for one of the horses that drew Mars' chariot; also called an "attendant" or "son" of Mars, according to chapter 15, line 119 of Homer's "Iliad." This Greek word means "flight."

August 17, 1877

Washington

A. Hall

Mars II (Deimos)

This outer Martian satellite was named for one of the horses that drew Mars' chariot; also called an "attendant" or "son" of Mars, according to chapter 15, line 119 of Homer's "Iliad." Deimos means "fear" in Greek.

August 11, 1877

Washington

A. Hall

Selected Asteroids (of the Main Belt) and their Satellites

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

(433) Eros

Named for the Greek god of love.

August 13, 1898

Berlin

C.G. Witt

(951) Gaspra

Named for a resort on the Crimean Peninsula.

July 30, 1916

Simeis

G. Neujmin

(243) Ida

Named for a nymph who raised the infant Zeus. Ida is also the name of a mountain on the island of Crete, the location of the cave where Zeus was reared.

September 29, 1884

Vienna

J. Palisa

(243) Ida I (Dactyl)

Named for a group of mythological beings who lived on Mount Ida, where the infant Zeus was hidden and raised (according to some accounts) by the nymph Ida.

August 28, 1993

Galileo imaging and infrared science teams.

(253) Mathilde

The name was suggested by a staff member of the Paris Observatory who first computed an orbit for Mathilde. The name is thought to honor the wife of the vice director of the Paris Observatory at that time.

November 12, 1885

Vienna

J. Palisa

(22) Kalliope I (Linus)

Satellite of (22) Kalliope. In various accounts of Greek mythology, Linus is considered to be the son of the Muse Kalliope and the inventor of melody and rhythm.

Jovian System

Satellites in the Jovian system are named for Zeus/Jupiter's lovers and descendants. Names of outer satellites with a prograde orbit generally end with the letter "a" (although an "o" ending has been reserved for some unusual cases), and names of satellites with a retrograde orbit end with an "e."

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

Jupiter

The largest and most massive of the planets was named Zeus by the Greeks and Jupiter by the Romans; he was the most important deity in both pantheons.

Jupiter I (Io)

Io, the daughter of Inachus, was changed by Jupiter into a cow to protect her from Hera's jealous wrath. But Hera recognized Io and sent a gadfly to torment her. Io, maddened by the fly, wandered throughout the Mediterranean region.

January 8, 1610

Padua

Galileo (Simon Marius probably made an independent discovery of the Galilean satellites at about the same time that Galileo did, and he may have unwittingly sighted them up to a month earlier, but the priority must go to Galileo because he published his discovery first.)

Jupiter II (Europa)

Beautiful daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre, she was seduced by Jupiter, who had assumed the shape of a white bull. When Europa climbed on his back he swam with her to Crete, where she bore several children, including Minos.

Beautiful young boy who was carried to Olympus by Jupiter disguised as an eagle. Ganymede then became the cupbearer of the Olympian gods.

January 7, 1610

Padua

Galileo

Jupiter IV (Callisto)

Beautiful daughter of Lycaon, she was seduced by Jupiter, who changed her into a bear to protect her from Hera's jealousy.

January 7, 1610

Padua

Galileo

Jupiter V (Amalthea)

A naiad who nursed the new-born Jupiter. She had as a favorite animal a goat which is said by some authors to have nourished Jupiter. The name was suggested by Flammarion.

September 9, 1892

Mt. Hamilton

E.E. Barnard

Jupiter VI (Himalia)

A Rhodian nymph who bore three sons of Zeus.

December 4, 1904

Mt. Hamilton

C.D. Perrine

Jupiter VII (Elara)

Daughter of King Orchomenus, a paramour of Zeus, and by him the mother of the giant Tityus.

January 3, 1905

Mt. Hamilton

C.D. Perrine

Jupiter VIII (Pasiphae)

Wife of Minos, king of Crete. Zeus made approaches to her as a bull (taurus). She then gave birth to the Minotaur. (Spelling changed from Pasiphaë to Pasiphae July 2009.)

January 27, 1908

Greenwich

P.J. Melotte

Jupiter IX (Sinope)

Daughter of the river god Asopus. Zeus desired to make love to her. Instead of this he granted perpetual virginity, after he had been deceived by his own promises. (In the same way, she also fooled Apollo.)

July 21, 1914

Mt. Hamilton

S.B. Nicholson

Jupiter X (Lysithea)

Daughter of Kadmos, also named Semele, mother of Dionysos by Zeus. According to others, she was the daughter of Evenus and mother of Helenus by Jupiter.

July 6, 1938

Mt. Wilson

S.B. Nicholson

Jupiter XI (Carme)

A nymph and attendant of Artemis; mother, by Zeus, of Britomartis.

July 30, 1938

Mt. Wilson

S.B. Nicholson

Jupiter XII (Ananke)

Goddess of fate and necessity, mother of Adrastea by Zeus.

September 28, 1951

Mt. Wilson

S.B. Nicholson

Jupiter XIII (Leda)

Seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan, she was the mother of Pollux and Helen.

September 11, 1974

Palomar

C.T. Kowal

Jupiter XIV (Thebe)

An Egyptian king's daughter, granddaughter of Io, mother of Aigyptos by Zeus. The Egyptian city of Thebes was named after her.

March 5, 1979

Voyager 1

Voyager Science Team

Jupiter XV (Adrastea)

A nymph of Crete to whose care Rhea entrusted the infant Zeus.

July, 1979

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Jupiter XVI (Metis)

First wife of Zeus. He swallowed her when she became pregnant; Athena was subsequently born from the forehead of Zeus.

Daughter and wife of Clymenus. In revenge for this incestuous relationship, she killed the son she bore him, cooked the corpse, and served it to Clymenus. She was transformed into the night bird called Chalkis, and Clymenus hanged himself. Some say that she was transformed into that bird because she had intercourse with Zeus.

November 23, 2000

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, Y.R. Fernandez, and G. Magnier

Jupiter XXIII (Kalyke)

Nymph who bore the handsome son Endymion with Zeus.

November 23, 2000

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, Y.R. Fernandez, and G. Magnier

Jupiter XXIV (Iocaste)

Wife of Laius, King of Thebes, and mother of Oedipus. After Laius was killed, Iocaste unknowingly married her own son Oedipus. When she learned that her husband was her son, she killed herself. Some say she was the mother of Agamedes by Zeus.

November 23, 2000

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, Y.R. Fernandez, and G. Magnier

Jupiter XXV (Erinome)

Daughter of Celes, compelled by Venus to fall in love with Jupiter.

November 23, 2000

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, Y.R. Fernandez, and G. Magnier

Jupiter XXVI (Isonoe)

A Danaid, bore with Zeus the son Orchomenos.

November 23, 2000

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, Y.R. Fernandez, and G. Magnier

Jupiter XXVII (Praxidike)

Goddess of punishment, mother of Klesios by Zeus.

November 23, 2000

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, Y.R. Fernandez, and G. Magnier

Jupiter XXVIII (Autonoe)

Mother of the Graces by Zeus according to some authors.

December 10, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXIX (Thyone)

Semele, mother of Dionysos by Zeus. She received the name of Thyone in Hades by Dionysos before he ascended up with her from there to heaven.

December 11, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXX (Hermippe)

Consort of Zeus and mother of Orchomenos by him.

December 9, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXI (Aitne)

A Sicilian nymph, conquest of Zeus.

December 9, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXII (Eurydome)

Mother of the Graces by Zeus, according to some authors. (Source: Cornutus: Theologiae Graecae compendium 15)

December 9, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXIII (Euanthe)

The mother of the Graces by Zeus, according to some authors.

December 11, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXIV (Euporie)

One of the Horae, a daughter of Zeus and Themis.

December 11, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXV (Orthosie)

One of the Horae, a daughter of Zeus and Themis.

December 11, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXVI (Sponde)

One of the Horae (Seasons), daughter of Zeus.

December 9, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXVII (Kale)

One of the Graces, a daughter of Zeus, husband of Hephaistos.

December 9, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXVIII (Pasithee)

One of the Graces, a daughter of Zeus.

December 11, 2001

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt and J. Kleyna

Jupiter XXXIX (Hegemone)

One of the Graces, a daughter of Zeus.

February 8, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XL (Mneme)

One of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus.

February 9, 2003

Mauna Kea

B. Gladman and L. Allen

Jupiter XLI (Aoede)

One of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus.

February 8, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLII (Thelxinoe)

One of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus.

February 9, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLIII (Arche)

One of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus.

October 31, 2002

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLIV (Kallichore)

One of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus.

February 6, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLV (Helike)

One of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus.

February 6, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLVI (Carpo)

One of the Horae, a daughter of Zeus.

February 26, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLVII (Eukelade)

One of the Muses, a daughter of Zeus.

February 5, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLVIII (Cyllene)

Daughter of Zeus, a nymph.

February 9, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard

Jupiter XLIX (Kore)

Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, also known as Persephone.

February 8, 2003

Mauna Kea

S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt, J. Kleyna

Jupiter L (Herse)

Daughter of Zeus and divine moon (Selene).

February 27, 2003

Mauna Kea

B. Gladman, J. Kavelaars, J.-M. Petit, and L. Allen

Jupiter LI (unnamed)

September 7, 2010

Palomar

R. Jacobson, M. Brozovic, B. Gladman, M. Alexandersen

Jupiter LII (unnamed)

September 8, 2010

Mauna Kea

C. Veillet

Jupiter LIII (Dia)

Greek meaning "She who belongs to Zeus". Dia is the daughter of Eioneus known as the divine daughter of the seashore. Zeus, disguised as a stallion, seduced Dia, who then gave birth to Peirithous.

December 5, 2000

Mauna Kea

S. S. Sheppard, D. C. Jewitt, Y. R. Fernandez, and G. Magnier

Jupiter LVII (Eirene)

Daughter of Zeus and Themis, goddess of peace.

February 6, 2003

Mauna Kea

S. S. Sheppard, D. C. Jewitt, and J. Kleyna

Jupiter LVIII (Philophrosyne)

Granddaughter of Zeus, daughter of Hephaestus and Aglaia, and sister of Eupheme.

February 6, 2003

Mauna Kea

S. S. Sheppard, D. C. Jewitt, and J. Kleyna

Jupiter LX (Eupheme)

Granddaughter of Zeus, daughter of Hephaestus and Aglaia, and sister of Philophrosyne.

February 5, 2003

Mauna Kea

S. S. Sheppard, D. C. Jewitt, and J. Kleyna

Jupiter LXII (Valetudo)

Great-granddaughter of Jupiter. Roman name for Greek Hygeia. She is the goddess of health and hygiene.

March 23, 2017

Cerro Tololo

S. S. Sheppard

Jupiter LXV (Pandia)

Daughter of Zeus and the Moon goddess Selene, goddess of the full moon, and sister of Ersa.

March 23, 2017

Cerro Tololo

S. S. Sheppard

Jupiter LXXI (Ersa)

Daughter of Zeus and the Moon goddess Selene, goddess of the dew, and sister of Pandia.

May 11, 2018

Cerro Tololo

S. S. Sheppard

Saturnian System

Satellites in the saturnian system are named for Greco-Roman titans, descendants of the titans, the Roman god of the beginning, and giants from Greco-Roman and other mythologies. Gallic, Inuit and Norse names identify three different orbit inclination groups, where inclinations are measured with respect to the ecliptic, not Saturn's equator or orbit. Retrograde satellites (those with an inclination of 90 to 180 degrees) are named for Norse giants (except for Phoebe, which was discovered long ago and is the largest). Prograde satellites with an orbit inclination of around 36 degrees are named for Gallic giants, and prograde satellites with an inclination of around 48 degrees are named for Inuit giants and spirits.

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

Saturn

Roman name for the Greek Cronos, father of Zeus/Jupiter. Other civilizations have given different names to Saturn, which is the farthest planet from Earth that can be observed by the naked human eye. Most of its satellites were named for Titans who, according to Greek mythology, were brothers and sisters of Saturn.

Saturn I (Mimas)

Named by Herschel's son John in the early 19th century for a Giant felled by Hephaestus (or Ares) in the war between the Titans and Olympian gods.

July 18, 1789

Slough

W. Herschel

Saturn II (Enceladus)

Named by Herschel's son John for the Giant Enceladus. Enceladus was crushed by Athene in the battle between the Olympian gods and the Titans. Earth piled on top of him became the island of Sicily.

August 28, 1789

Slough

W. Herschel

Saturn III (Tethys)

Cassini wished to name Tethys and the other three satellites that he discovered (Dione, Rhea, and Iapetus) for Louis XIV. However, the names used today for these satellites were applied in the early 19th century by John Herschel, who named them for Titans and Titanesses, brothers and sisters of Saturn. Tethys was the wife of Oceanus and mother of all rivers and Oceanids.

March 21, 1684

Paris

G.D. Cassini

Saturn IV (Dione)

Dione was the sister of Cronos and mother (by Zeus) of Aphrodite.

March 21, 1684

Paris

G.D. Cassini

Saturn V (Rhea)

A Titaness, mother of Zeus by Kronos.

December 23, 1672

Paris

G.D. Cassini

Saturn VI (Titan)

Named by Huygens, who first called it "Luna Saturni." In Greek Mythology, a Giant, and one of two generations of immortal giants (Titans) of incredible strength and stamina who were overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians.

First reported (though with an incorrect orbital period) and named by A. Dollfus from observations in Dec. 1966, this satellite was finally confirmed in 1980. It was proven to have a twin, Epimetheus, sharing the same orbit but never actually meeting. It is named for the Roman god of the beginning. The two-faced god could look forward and backward at the same time.

December 15, 1966 (Dollfus), February 19, 1980 (Pascu)

Pic du Midi (Dollfus), Washington (Pascu)

A. Dollfus (1966), D. Pascu (1980)

Saturn XI (Epimetheus)

First suspected by J. Fountain and S. Larson as confusing the detection of Janus. They assigned the correct orbital period, and the satellite was finally confirmed in 1980. Named for the son of the Titan Iapetus. In contrast with his far-sighted brother Prometheus, he "subsequently realized" that he was in the wrong.

1977 (Fountain and Larson), February 26, 1980 (Cruikshank)

Tucson (Fountain and Larson), Mauna Kea (Cruikshank)

J. Fountain and S. Larson (1977), D. Cruikshank (1980)

Saturn XII (Helene)

A granddaughter of Kronos, for her beauty she triggered off the Trojan War.

March 1, 1980

Pic du Midi

P. Laques and J. Lecacheux

Saturn XIII (Telesto)

Daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.

April 8, 1980

Tucson

B.A. Smith, H. Reitsema, S.M. Larson, and J. Fountain

Saturn XIV (Calypso)

Daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys and paramour of Odysseus.

March 13, 1980

Flagstaff

D. Pascu, P.K. Seidelmann, W. Baum, and D. Currie

Saturn XV (Atlas)

A Titan; he held the heavens on his shoulders.

October 1980

Voyager 1

Voyager Science Team

Saturn XVI (Prometheus)

Son of the Titan Iapetus, brother of Atlas and Epimetheus, he gave many gifts to humanity, including fire.

October 1980

Voyager 1

Voyager Science Team

Saturn XVII (Pandora)

Made of clay by Hephaestus at the request of Zeus. She married Epimetheus and opened the box that loosed a host of plagues upon humanity.

October 1980

Voyager 1

Voyager Science Team

Saturn XVIII (Pan)

Greek god of pastoralism, he was half goat and half human. Son of Hermes, brother of Daphnis, and a descendant of the Titans. Discovered orbiting in the Encke division in Saturn's A ring.

1990

Voyager 2

M.R. Showalter

Saturn XIX (Ymir)

Ymir is the primordial Norse giant and the progenitor of the race of frost giants.

One of the Alkyonides, the seven beautiful daughters of the Giant Alkyoneos.

May 30, 2007

Cassini Imaging Science Team

Saturn L (Jarnsaxa)

Norse giantess and Thor's lover.

January 5, 2006

Mauna Kea

S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewittt, J. Kleyna

Saturn LI (Greip)

Norse giantess.

January 5, 2006

Mauna Kea

S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewittt, J. Kleyna

Saturn LII (Tarqeq)

Inuit moon spirit.

January 16, 2007

Mauna Kea

S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewittt, J. Kleyna

Saturn LIII (Aegaeon)

Greek hundred-armed giant, called Briareus by the gods.

August 15, 2008

Cassini Imaging Science Team

Uranian System

Satellites in the uranian system are named for characters from Shakespeare's plays and from Pope's "Rape of the Lock."

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

Uranus

Several astronomers, including Flamsteed and Le Monnier, had observed Uranus earlier but had recorded it as a fixed star. Herschel tried unsuccessfully to name his discovery "Georgian Sidus" after George III; the planet was named by Johann Bode in 1781 after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus, the father of Kronos (Saturn) and grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter).

March 13, 1781

Bath

W. Herschel

Uranus I (Ariel)

Named by John Herschel for a sylph in Pope's "Rape of the Lock."

October 24, 1851

Liverpool

W. Lassell

Uranus II (Umbriel)

Umbriel was named by John Herschel for a malevolent spirit in Pope's "Rape of the Lock."

October 24, 1851

Liverpool

W. Lassell

Uranus III (Titania)

Named by Herschel's son John in early 19th century for the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

January 11, 1787

Slough

W. Herschel

Uranus IV (Oberon)

Named by Herschel's son John in early 19th century for the king of the fairies in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

January 11, 1787

Slough

W. Herschel

Uranus V (Miranda)

Named by Kuiper for the heroine of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

February 16, 1948

Fort Davis

G.P. Kuiper

Uranus VI (Cordelia)

Daughter of Lear in Shakespeare's "King Lear."

January 20, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus VII (Ophelia)

Daughter of Polonius, fiance of Hamlet in Shakespeare's "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark."

January 20, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus VIII (Bianca)

Daughter of Baptista, sister of Kate, in Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew."

January 23, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus IX (Cressida)

Title character in Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida."

January 9, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus X (Desdemona)

Wife of Othello in Shakespeare's "Othello, the Moor of Venice."

January 13, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus XI (Juliet)

Heroine of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

January 3, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus XII (Portia)

Wife of Brutus in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar."

January 3, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus XIII (Rosalind)

Daughter of the banished duke in Shakespeare's "As You Like It."

January 13, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus XIV (Belinda)

Character in Pope's "Rape of the Lock."

January 13, 1986

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus XV (Puck)

Mischievous spirit in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

December 30, 1985

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Uranus XVI (Caliban)

Named for the grotesque, brutish slave in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

September 6, 1997

Palomar

B. Gladman, P. Nicholson, J.A. Burns and J. Kavelaars

Uranus XVII (Sycorax)

Named for Caliban's mother in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

September 6, 1997

Palomar

P. Nicholson, B. Gladman, J. Burns and J. Kavelaars

Uranus XVIII (Prospero)

Named for the rightful Duke of Milan in "The Tempest."

July 18, 1999

Mauna Kea

M. Holman, J. Kavelaars, B. Gladman, J.-M. Petit, and H. Scholl

Uranus XIX (Setebos)

Setebos was a new-world (South American) deity's name that Shakespeare popularized as Sycorax's god in "The Tempest."

July 18, 1999

Mauna Kea

J. Kavelaars, B. Gladman, M. Holman, J.-M. Petit, and H. Scholl

Uranus XX (Stephano)

Named for a drunken butler in "The Tempest."

July 18, 1999

Mauna Kea

B. Gladman, M. Holman, J. Kavelaars, J.-M. Petit, and H. Scholl

Uranus XXI (Trinculo)

A jester in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

August 13, 2001

Cerro Tololo

M. Holman, J.J. Kavelaars and D. Milisavljevic

Uranus XXII (Francisco)

A lord in "The Tempest."

August 13, 2001

Cerro Tololo

J. Kavelaars, M. Holman, D. Milisavljevic, and T. Grav

Uranus XXIII (Margaret)

A gentlewoman attending on Hero from "Much Ado About Nothing."

August 29, 2003

Mauna Kea

S.S. Sheppard, D.C. Jewitt

Uranus XXIV (Ferdinand)

Son of the King of Naples in "The Tempest."

August 13, 2001

Cerro Tololo

D. Milisavljevic, M. Holman, J. Kavelaars, and T. Grav

Uranus XXV (Perdita)

Daughter of Leontes and Hermione in "The Winter's Tale."

January 18, 1986

Voyager 2

E. Karkoschka

Uranus XXVI (Mab)

The fairies' midwife in "Romeo and Juliet."

August 25, 2003

Hubble Space Telescope

M.R. Showalter and J.J. Lissauer

Uranus XXVII (Cupid)

A character in "Timon of Athens."

August 25, 2003

Hubble Space Telescope

M.R. Showalter and J.J. Lissauer

Neptunian System

Satellites in the neptunian system are named for characters from Greek or Roman mythology associated with Neptune or Poseidon or the oceans. Irregular satellites are named for the Nereids, the daughters of Nereus and Doris, and the attendants of Neptune.

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

Neptune

Neptune was "predicted" by John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier who, independently, were able to account for the irregularities in the motion of Uranus by correctly predicting the orbital elements of a trans- Uranian body. Using the predicted parameters of Le Verrier (Adams never published his predictions), Johann Galle observed the planet in 1846. Galle wanted to name the planet for Le Verrier, but that was not acceptable to the international astronomical community. Instead, this planet is named for the Roman god of the sea.

September 23, 1846

Berlin

J.G. Galle

Neptune I (Triton)

Triton is named for the sea-god son of Poseidon (Neptune) and Amphitrite. The first suggestion of the name Triton has been attributed to the French astronomer Camille Flammarion.

October 10, 1846

Liverpool

W. Lassell

Neptune II (Nereid)

The Nereids were the fifty daughters of the sea god Nereus and Doris and were attendants of Poseidon (Neptune).

May 1, 1949

Fort Davis

G.P. Kuiper

Neptune III (Naiad)

The name of a group of Greek water nymphs who were guardians of lakes, fountains, springs, and rivers.

August 1989

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Neptune IV (Thalassa)

Greek sea goddess. Mother of Aphrodite in some legends; others say she bore the Telchines.

August 1989

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Neptune V (Despina)

Daughter of Poseidon (Neptune) and Demeter.

July 1989

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Neptune VI (Galatea)

One of the Nereids, attendants of Poseidon.

July 1989

Voyager 2

Voyager Science Team

Neptune VII (Larissa)

A lover of Poseidon. After the discovery by Voyager, it was established that an occultation of a star by this satellite had been fortuitously observed in 1981 by H. Reitsema, W. Hubbard, L. Lebofsky, and D. J. Tholen.

Ceres

Pluto

Satellites in the plutonian system are named for characters and creatures in the myths surrounding Pluto (Greek Hades) and the classical Greek and Roman Underworld.

Body

Description

Date of Discovery

Discovery Location

Discoverer

(134340) Pluto

Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ during a systematic search for a trans-Neptune planet predicted by Percival Lowell and William H. Pickering. Named after the Roman god of the underworld who was able to render himself invisible.

January 23, 1930

Flagstaff

C.W. Tombaugh

(134340) Pluto I (Charon)

Named after the Greek mythological boatman who ferried souls across the river Styx to Pluto for judgement.

April 13, 1978

Flagstaff

J.W. Christy

(134340) Pluto II (Nix)

Goddess of darkness and night, mother of Charon. (Nix is the Egyptian spelling of the Greek name Nyx.)